Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun has said state governors, rather than President Bola Tinubu, should be held responsible for explaining how additional revenue generated from the removal of petrol subsidy is being spent.

Abiodun said the policy had increased allocations to state governments, making governors better positioned to account for the funds and how they were utilised.

The governor spoke at an All Progressives Congress (APC) rally in Ogun State while responding to opposition criticism over the management of revenue associated with subsidy removal.

According to him, it was inappropriate to demand that Tinubu account for the gains from the policy when state governments receive increased allocations from the Federation Account.

He said governors had been deploying the additional funds to finance infrastructure and other development projects across their states.

“They said they want to return the subsidy. Are they mad? They were asking our leader to explain what he did with subsidy removal gains,” Abiodun said in Yoruba.

“It is we (governors) that should make such explanations because it is we, state governors, that collect the money.

“Besides, what have we been using to build roads, schools, provide good housing and incentives for farmers? Isn’t it from subsidy?”

Abiodun also attacked opposition parties ahead of the 2027 general elections, expressing confidence that the APC would defeat its rivals.

“Go and tell your people that all of them are not up to one. We will defeat them mercilessly,” he said.

The governor’s comments come amid renewed political debate over the economic impact of petrol subsidy removal and how the resulting increase in government revenue has been distributed and spent.

African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar has repeatedly criticised the Tinubu administration over what he described as a failure to account for savings generated by the policy.

Atiku has also pledged to restore the petrol subsidy if elected president in 2027, arguing that the government has not adequately explained how the savings have been utilised.

Tinubu rejected the proposal, describing it as evidence of “serious ignorance of governance and economy.”

The President has also argued that some state governments struggled to pay workers’ salaries and pensions before he assumed office, attributing the improvement in states’ finances to reforms introduced by his administration.

On August 19, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, said the removal of petrol subsidy had enabled the federation to mobilise N15.8 trillion between June 2023 and December 2025.

The figure has since featured prominently in the political debate over the fiscal impact of subsidy removal and whether the additional revenue has translated into improved public services and infrastructure.